Letter from Edinburgh: early days yet for independence debate

In a few months’ time, the most successful political union the world has ever seen, the UK, could be no more

On Hogmanay, Edinburgh becomes a city of the world. The Scottish capital’s annual New Year celebrations attracted 400,000 partygoers until the council limited the numbers to 180,000 for safety reasons in 1998. This year had special poignancy. For as they linked arms and sang Auld Lang Syne, many were aware that this could be the last New Year that Scotland remains linked to the UK.

In a few months' time, the most successful political union the world has ever seen, the United Kingdom, which once had an empire spanning a quarter...